Sonia G. Tells Us What She’s Buying During the Gift Card Event
Written by Sonia G.
It's time for the Beautylish Gift Card Event! The Gift Card Event is happening from March 23rd to the 26th and I know that many of us are waiting for this opportunity to get some new products or do a little replenishment of faves! The wonderful team at Beautylish asked me to share what will be in my basket.
First: I’ll go over the makeup items that I am currently loving and what I plan to purchase during the event. Then, my favorite subject: makeup brushes! I will share my thoughts on which are truly worth the splurge.
The Makeup Pieces I Love*
rms beauty ReDimension Hydra Powder Blushes, $35
If you don't own any of these, you should definitely try them out. They can also be used on the eyes, they’re buildable, and they don't emphasize pores or wrinkles. These blushes are also made in Italy, talc free, have a good shelf life, are luminous, come in a fun range of colors, and they are refillable (the refill is $28 USD). They tick off all the boxes! There are only 6 shades available but I think they nailed it with the selection. But if you want a gorgeous neutral, go for Maiden’s Blush!
TOM FORD Eye Color Crème Quads in Forbidden Pink and Violet Satiné, $90
I find these two palettes incredibly gorgeous and easy to wear for daytime looks. Even though I have 95% of all the TOM FORD palettes ever, these two are easily amongst the top 5. The packaging is quite stunning too. I have been using both palettes and the wear is very good, application is super effortless, and I love how they are neutral but in each palette there is something extra. They look so good on my older eyelids. (Just so you know, Beautylish can only ship TOM FORD in the US.)
Jouer Cosmetics Rose Gold Blush Bouquet Mini in Rose Gold, $19
When I look for a product I love, I always look for mini sizes just in case they have them. When I saw that Jouer had a mini size blush duo, I just couldn't resist. The Jouer Rose Gold blush duo has two different shades that I use either separately or layered. I prefer to mix them up but it depends on the look or the mood. Even though I have a million blushes, somehow this one managed to get all my attention and love.
Viseart Petits Fours Palettes, $25
More mini sizes here. I am loving the Viseart Petits Fours palettes. I love that the pans on the Petits Fours can be switched from palette to palette. Although I enjoy the color stories, I appreciate being able to create my own as it allows me to carry something small and bespoke to travel with. I have the Lilas palette and the new Violetta. These two together have a lot of potential and I am really looking forward to playing with them. I am loving the muted mauve shade, Couperin, in the Violetta palette—it's a beautiful brown and the sparkles are subtle enough for the crease.
One thing to note about another shade in Violetta: Verrerie duochrome. A midnight purple shade, it can be a bit dusty and needs a bit of work to adhere. However, the effect can be stunning. I place it either with a brush or the fingertips, gently stamp it just once, use a clean finger to push it and fix it in place, and then repeat until I get the placement I want. I don't want an opaque placement with this shade, I’m just looking for a thin layer that looks like stars in the night sky. Whatever the technique, there is likely to be some fallout so I’m not using this shade for daytime wear.
Charlotte Tilbury Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter in Pillow Talk Glow, $48
I really love highlighters—I love their ability to transform a look. But as I am getting older, I need a highlighter to provide not only a stunning glow, but a glow that works with my skin. The Hollywood Highlighter can be used on the cheeks, eyes, lips, dry or wet. The term "emollient" is what sold me. The price is quite high for a highlighter but if it works and if we use it everywhere and frequently, then it helps to justify the price.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, $85 and A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum, $122
I bought the mini sizes during the last Beautylish event and I’ve noticed something good starting to happen. My skin looks comfortable, brighter and healthier in the mornings.
I think that these little bottles lasted me a couple of weeks. Since I have very dry and sensitive skin, I have to be extra careful and use little amounts and not at the same time—at least at the beginning. Now I would like to try the full size bottles and see what happens!
Makeup Brush Recommendations
I am featuring some favorites that stand out—a selection from what I have at home that is also currently available on Beautylish. These 27 brushes are my top favorites (it's a lot, I know!).
PS - I am not including my own brushes "Sonia G." in this post. But if you are interested in getting some of my brushes and you don't know where to start, take a look at The Lotus Set! In the future, I will be sharing some detailed recommendations from my own line, so watch out for them.
In this picture above, I have placed the brushes from the most expensive one on the left, to the least expensive on the right. It's really interesting to see them organized in that order. You can click on the picture to view it in full size.
Some quick notes on building your collection: when building a set for ourselves, we have to take into consideration our budget, our needs, what works best for us, and what makes sense considering all of this. Build a collection slowly. Don’t stress about it. It should be fun and exciting!
The Best Value Set
This would be my ideal brush set with the best value for my investment, not only because the prices are good considering their craftsmanship and materials, but also because of their functionality.
The Beautylish Presents Lunar New Year "Year of the Rabbit", $125 is not only a cute little brush, but it's wonderful and on top of that, it has an incredible price point. The craftsmanship is of the same level as CHIKUHODO's, but with a better price point. The Beautylish Year of the Rabbit brush has similar specs as the CHIKUHODO MK-SK, same ferrule size and hair length and similar bristle quality, but the density seems a bit higher in the Beautylish brush. Also, I noticed that the layering of bristles start just a tiny bit closer to the ferrule on the Beautylish brush. This might be a reason why it feels denser in the center since there are more tips closer to the middle section, but I am not sure about this.
[Pictured: CHIKUHODO MK-SK (left) compared with the Beautylish Presents Lunar New Year Brush]
The CHIKUHODO Z-4, $71: I prefer the Z-8 for myself because of its size (it also allows me to do more tasks because of its specific, curvier ferrule—but the Z-4 is a brush with an excellent value. If you prefer smaller brushes, it's more reasonable to go with the Z-4.
[Pictured: CHIKUHODO Z-4 on the left, compared to the Z-8]
The Wayne Goss Edit Brush 01, $53 is probably my favorite brush from Wayne. Its versatility is beyond amazing. Blush, bronzer, contour, highlight, it works with all. It’s not too dense, not too floppy, pointy but not too pointy, beautiful design, and bundled with saikoho goat bristles. The price is just so worth it. I wanted to show you a picture of the Wayne next to the CHIKUHODO GSN-4 because I think it's also an amazing brush, super versatile, with the same kind of size. TBH, I'd rather use Wayne's since it's tapered and I can have a bit more control with the placement. But both are super versatile workhorses.
[Pictured: Wayne Goss Goss Edit Brush 01 (left) compared to the CHIKUHODO GSN-4]
The CHIKUHODO GSN-5, $39 is a foundation brush. The bristles are not that soft but if you don't need the bristles to be the softest, it's really a great brush with a size appropriate for foundation and that can also navigate quite easily on smaller areas. I love that the bristles are not white. I think I have a little personal issue using white brushes with liquid foundation and I prefer if they are darker or not super bright white.
The CHIKUHODO Takumi T-6, $34 is a fun brush to do setting work or to place some highlighters or buff and blend in smaller areas.
The Beautylish Presents Yano Series Brush 06, $40 is so interesting. Surratt Beauty has a similar one but I don't own it yet and I don't know if it's the same size and length. The Yano 06 is actually denser, it has just a bit more strength in comparison to the Chicca but these are really soft brushes, meant for a light application. I use them in the crease, with highlighter or with powder to set small areas.
The CHIKUHODO Z-5 $40, and Z-10, $31 are truly amazing brushes. I have had them for so many years. They are still working perfectly well. They have aged because I used them a lot, but the functionality is not impacted at all. If I had to get only two eye brushes from the Z Series, it would be these two.
[Pictured: CHIKUHODO Z-5 (left) and CHIKUHODO Z-10]
The CHIKUHODO Takumi T-7, $25 and the GSN-9, $25 are both really effective, so it depends if you want something stronger or something a lot softer. I have to say that the GSN-9 is probably one of the best deals on Beautylish so I would definitely go for it ASAP if you had planned to get it someday.
[Pictured: CHIKUHODO Takumi T-7 (left) and GSN-9]
The CHIKUHODO Z-9, $168 is my ultimate favorite brush for bronzer from the brand. Mine has a flat surface at the top and even though it's quite large and fluffy, the ferrule gives the brush just the firmness I need, I have enough control and I can achieve a super fast application.
The CHIKUHODO Z-8, $108 has always been my favorite from the Z series (with the Z-9). The way the bristles work and how the strength is evenly distributed on the tips makes this brush a must-have for me.
The Surratt Beauty Cheek Brush, $130 is just amazing. All the face brushes from Surratt have that same extra power to them and I love them all. I wanted to pick just one blush brush and this one is the one that I use the most. While there are very similar shapes with the same material in the fude market, the Surratt have a bit more fullness and power.
The Beautylish Presents Yano Series Brush 10, $35 allows me a bit more control because of its density, but it's a bit more expensive. Is it worth the price difference? Yes, for me, it is. But the Chikuhodo option is cheaper if you would like an alternative.
The Surratt Beauty Small Classic Shadow Brush, $45 comes with a high cost but what I find so unique is the size and shape of this little one, it's very unique.
My Ideal Goat Bristles Set
Same exercise, from those 27 available favorites, if I wanted to build my ideal goat bristles set, it would look like this:
I have already mentioned most of these brushes in this post so I won't repeat myself, I will just add some details.
The CHIKUHODO Takumi T-13, $80 is quite recent. It's a soft saikoho buffing brush, and though it has movement in the bristles, it's still super dense so the application and the buffing will be strong. It's going to buff the pores with determination! It has more power right in the center and less towards the edges.
The CHIKUHODO Takumi T-2, $78 is a great brush for powder and bronzer for a light to medium application (depending on the pigmentation of the product). It's a very good size if you are looking for a big fluffy brush with predictable movement and flexibility.
I hope that this helped to see what amazing brushes are available today on Beautylish. If you have any questions or need help deciding, please do not hesitate!
*Disclaimer: This post features items that have been gifted to me by Beautylish: the rms beauty blush in French Rosé, the Viseart Petits Fours in Violetta, the Wayne Goss Edit 01, the Yano Series Brush 06 and the Yano Series Brush 10. All the other products, shades, and brushes mentioned in this post have been purchased by me.